Why do we eat donuts at Carnival?

It can be ribboned or curly, chocolate or jam, you can call it krapfen or pampuska. In today's article, we're going to talk about doughnuts: we'll look at their origins and why they have become an essential part of the carnival season.

We're not telling you anything new, of course, by saying that there are so many versions of doughnut origins and traditions, just as there are countless recipes for how to make them. In the following article, we will try to find out.

What is a carnival?

First of all, it is worth clarifying what a carnival actually is. The carnival period officially lasts from Waterloo (6 January) to Carnival Tuesday (the 40th day before Easter). After that, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40-day fast. Carnival is therefore the period preceding Lent, a time of great feasting, merrymaking and feasting, and, as it is not a major Christian religious holiday, it is mainly associated with folk traditions associated with the banishment of winter. Its most important events are carnivals, such as the famous Venice Carnival, but if you want to take a local example, the Moha carnival can also be seen as a kind of carnival to ward off winter.

Why do we eat doughnuts at Carnival?

In the old days, there was a tradition that if you baked doughnuts during this period, even the most fierce spring storms and winds would not be able to sweep away the roof of your house. But the tradition of doughnuts is also closely linked to courtship and matchmaking. This is the time when the lads would visit the girls' houses, where they would be offered delicious doughnuts. According to tradition, if the girl who offered the doughnut halved it with the lad, it was a sign that she was returning his love, so they could prepare for the wedding, and the ribbon on the side of the doughnut also symbolised the wedding ring. Although not many of these traditions remain today, we can still say that the best-known dish associated with Carnival is the Carnival doughnut.

The origins of the doughnut

There are of course funny anecdotes and tales about the origins and history of the doughnut, and let's recall some of them.

The most famous and perhaps funniest anecdote about the doughnut is that it originated in Vienna. It happens that a very famous Viennese baker called Krapfen died and his wife took over the bakery. However, she had to wait long hours in the mornings for her Austrian guests, who were eager to eat bread, and they made their presence known. But the baker was not to be feared either, as the anecdote goes that she threw a piece of dough at the guests who were disparaging her, but the throw missed its target and landed in a pan of sizzling oil, and its delicious smell permeated the whole bakery. Thus the first doughnut was born, which is why, according to an anecdote, it is still called "krapfen".

Another anecdote has it that Marie Antoinette escaped from a masked ball at court and mingled with the street crowd. Hungry, she bought a doughnut from a street vendor, which she liked so much that her companion ended up having to buy the whole basket of doughnuts. The doughnut maker was later summoned and given a job in the court kitchen, making doughnuts part of the royal feast.

But there are much simpler and less exciting theories about doughnuts, one of which claims that they originated in Italy and were brought to King Matthias' court simply through Beatrix.

How it's made

There are many variations of the doughnut (e.g.: brioche, potato), it is widely used in many places around the world and has many different names. In Transylvania, for example, it is called pánkó, in the Felvidék it is called siska, and in the Palóc it is called pampuska. In all cases, it is made from a light, egg-based dough and fried in a rich fat or oil. It can be eaten stuffed or unstuffed, savoury or even sweet.